Josiah received both his A.B. (1738) and his M.A. (1741) from Harvard, and then went to preach as a probationer at Taunton. His style delighted the "New Lights", who flocked to hear him, and the church gave him a call in late 1741. In the meantime he traveled to nearby towns "revival preaching" to some notice, before being ordained at Taunton in May 1742. That summer, he married his first wife, Rebecca Allen, and they had seven children before she died in 1759. In 1761, he remarried Hannah Cobb, and they had two children. Crocker, however, began attracting attention because he "was not, as he ought to have been, a thorough Temperance man." He was found guilty of excessive use of intoxicants in 1763, but not removed, and so was dismissed on Nov. 1, 1765. He remained at Taunton, as he was only 46 when he was dismissed, preaching on occasion.[1]

Josiah Crocker, minister of the First Congregational Society of Taunton, was born at Yarmouth on October 30, 1719, the only son of Captain Josiah and Desire (Thacher) Crocker. The Captain, who was a mariner, died in Nova Scotia in 1721, and his widow died soon thereafter. Josiah was probably raised by his grandfather, Colonel John Thacher of Yarmouth....

[Josiah] was only 46 when he was dismissed, but he remained in Taunton, preaching there when he had the opportunity, until his death there on August 28, 1774."